ABQ City Nature Challenge

City Nature Challenge is an annual global collaborative effort to document wild plants and animals in and around urban areas. The 2025 event takes place from April 25 to May 3, 2025. The observation period is Friday through Monday (4/25 - 4/28), followed by the identification period (4/29 - 5/3.) Join us in making observations of plants and wildlife in the Middle Rio Grande Valley (Sandoval, Bernalillo, and Valencia Counties.)
You can make observations anywhere you find wildlife, but please spend some time documenting plants and wildlife in urban areas and neighborhoods to help fill the gaps in our urban biodiversity map!
It’s easy to participate in this unique community science initiative! The R.H. Mallory Center for Community Geography invites all UNM students, staff, faculty, and friends to support the ABQ City Nature Challenge effort.
How do I participate?
All UNM students, staff, faculty, and friends are invited to join the challenge and we want as many geographers involved as possible. Follow these easy steps to get set up:
- Download the iNaturalist app to your phone.
- Join our team Team GES (We're not challenging the huge Biology department this year due to our focus on less wildlife-dense urban areas.)
- Observe! From April 25 to 28, make as many observations as possible anywhere in Bernalillo, Sandoval, or Valencia Counties. You don’t even have to know what you’re observing. Just take a photo and then the naturalists and scientists using iNaturalist will figure out what it is from April 29 - May 3.
Center for Community Geography CNC Events
Friday, April 25 10am - 2pm
You are invited to stop by Smith Plaza, south of Zimmerman Library, for iNaturalist tutorials, snacks, and stickers!
We'll have guided campus walks at 11am and 2pm so we can show people how to collect observations.
Sunday, April 27 11am
Join UNM's Department of Geography and Environmental Studies and the R.H. Mallory Center for Community Geography as we document urban wildlife. We'll meet at the International District Library to make observations around the library and then head over to the Erna Fergusson Library.
What if I’ve Never Observed Wildlife Before?
You don’t have to be an expert to contribute! Simply take photos of any plants or animals you see, even in your own backyard, and upload them to iNaturalist. The app is easy to use, and there are numerous training sessions available:
- Watch this video: Finding Observations for iNaturalist in Your Neighborhood (8 minutes)
- Watch recorded iNaturalist tutorial (YouTube, 1h20min)
What happens during the identification phase?
After the observation period ends, expert naturalists and scientists will use iNaturalist to review the photographs and ID as many species as possible. The identification process will take place simultaneously all across Albuquerque and around the world. Datasets can be used later for mapping and analysis of biodiversity in our communities. Center for Community Geography Fellow Katie Slack, MS, is currently working with the ABQ Backyard Refuge Program to use CNC data for mapping and planning/prioritizing community habitat restoration, so we hope to see as much participation as possible right here in the Middle Rio Grande Valley!
For updates:
- Join the CNC ABQ project to see all the planned events and receive updates during the Challenge.
- Follow R.H. Mallory Center for Community Geography on Instagram and Twitter and the ABQ Backyard Refuge Program on Facebook, Instagram, and BlueSky
- Follow City Nature Challenge on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
- Learn more at abqcitynature.org, citynaturechallenge.org
and communitygeography.unm.edu